In 6.43-seconds, Lachlan Kennedy became global athletics news. The rising sprinter is welcoming the noise ahead of Saturday’s Perth Track Classic, quietly confident that a breakthrough over 100m will soon silence the critics.
A victim of his own success, the 21-year-old has just been doing what he has done best in recent years – sprinting. But a result of 6.43 (+1.6) over 60m in January to make him the 10th fastest man in global history had the athletics world talking, and few were complimentary as the traditionally indoor event headed outdoors for the Australian Short Track Athletics Championships.
The Olympian remains unfazed by the noise ahead of the Men’s 100m showdown in Perth this Saturday, where he hopes to capitlaise on the typically favourable sprinting conditions – refusing to take Patrick Johnson’s 9.93-second Australian record off the table of possibilities.
“The next goal for me is to break the Australian record in the 100m, that’s been my goal for a minute now. I know I can do it, the training is feeling real good,” Kennedy says.
“I have never been to Perth but I’ve heard it’s rapid. If it’s not at the Perth Track Classic then hopefully at Nationals we can dip below 10-seconds, because it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities right now.”
Assessing his year to date as a “pleasant surprise”, the Queenslander is more calculated than cocky. Coached by Andrew Iselin after spending his school years playing rugby, Kennedy views his recent success as a fast start to a blossoming career.
“Anything can happen, but I understand that progression isn’t linear. There is so much more that I can improve on and there are a lot of people who run fast once and never again. That’s not going to be me,” Kennedy says.
“We have a lot of promising data which is helpful but there is a difference between putting up numbers in a lab and putting them up in a race. I’m just trying to get better for the international season because that’s where it matters and that’s where you go up against the best.”
First, he will take on Olympic teammates Joshua Azzopardi and Jacob Despard, as well as reigning Australian champion Sebastian Sultana and Japan’s Shuhei Tada – keen to better his win of 10.10 (+5.3) at the Adelaide Invitational.
“I was disappointed with the 100m in Adelaide, I got the win but I know that I’m better than that,” Kennedy says.
“I feel like I just need to piece together a complete race. Obviously 6.43 is rapid but I wouldn’t say it’s a fluke or anything; I know I can back it up and replicate it.”
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a 15-year-old, Kennedy races with a bandage covering his CGM (continuous glucose monitor), but is quick to play down the condition’s impact on his performance.
“A lot of people have it worse than me. I have a great endocrinologist, my Mum and Dad are all over it and I’ve never had an emergency. The technology is just so good,” Kennedy says.
“My younger sister has it too, so we have a good program going between us. I don’t think it has ever stopped me from doing anything I have wanted to do, and I don’t think it ever will.”
As for his impending indoor debut at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China next month, Kennedy knows the eyes of the athletics world will be on him but continues to welcome the noise:
“I have had a lot of fun reading the comments but I try to stay out of it. People love to talk and I know that the 60m is new in Australia and people aren’t really used to it, but we have had the talent here for ages,” Kennedy says.
“I think I’m going to go even better to go indoors than I did outdoors. The field is wide open this time and I feel like I can win a medal.”
Tickets to see Kennedy in action at the Perth Track Classic can be purchased HERE.
More information including entry lists, schedule and live results are available HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 27/2/2025
